Kilchurn Castle — Attraction in Great Britain

Visiting Kilchurn Castle was one of the real highlights of my trip to Scotland. Even though the castle itself was closed when I visited, the entire experience was still absolutely worth it.

The walk to the castle is nothing short of glorious. You make your way along gentle paths surrounded by sweeping, rugged scenery that feels straight out of a postcard. Loch Awe stretches out before you, and on a clear day, the views across the water are simply breathtaking. There’s something magical about seeing the ruins of the castle reflected in the still, shimmering loch — it’s one of those moments you’ll want to capture both with your camera and your memory.

Adding to the charm of the walk, there’s a good chance you’ll spot Highland cows grazing nearby. They’re wonderfully photogenic and seem to add even more character to the landscape. Seeing them up close (but respectfully keeping your distance) was a real treat and made the walk even more special.

The castle itself, while inaccessible due to closure during my visit, is still an impressive sight from the outside. It stands proud and weathered, a beautiful ruin with centuries of history behind it. Even from beyond the gates, you can sense the story of the place — once a stronghold of the Campbell clan, now a romantic relic in one of Scotland’s most beautiful settings.

The only real downside, of course, was not being able to explore inside. It would have been wonderful to climb the towers and walk through the old stone rooms. Hopefully, future visitors will have better luck with timing, as being able to go inside would definitely elevate the experience even further.

All in all, Kilchurn Castle is a must-visit if you’re in the area. Even if you can only admire it from the outside, the combination of stunning landscapes, peaceful walks, and iconic Scottish atmosphere makes it an unforgettable stop. Just check ahead if getting inside the castle is important to you — but either way, you won’t be...

Interesting castle ruins with good walking paths around and nice scenic views.

Kilchurn Castle (/kəlˈxʊərn/) is a ruined structure on a rocky peninsula at the northeastern end of Loch Awe, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It was first constructed in the mid-15th century as the base of the Campbells of Glenorchy, who extended both the castle and their territory in the area over the next 150 years. After the Campbells became Earls of Breadalbane and moved to Taymouth Castle, Kilchurn fell out of use and was in ruins by 1770. It is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

Access is either by boat from Lochawe pier, or on foot from the A85 near Dalmally. The access is under the railway viaduct that crosses Loch Awe, and access is sometimes restricted by higher-than-usual levels of water in the loch, which turn the site into a temporary island. The castle is a scheduled monument.

The castle is currently closed for conservation works. Signage on the security fencing surrounding the castle states the closure is due to danger from falling masonry. There is no indicated time scale for reopening. Visitors can, however, walk around the castle. Entrance to the pier is...

Even though it is being repaired right now, you are still able to get pretty close to the castle itself and it is beautiful.

I will say though, watch out for the cows! When we were walking up the path towards the castle a cow and a bull started walking towards my boyfriend, moved aggressively towards him, but quickly moved on to another passerby.

There was an elderly gentleman in front of the castle, went to stand next to him and promptly knocked him off his feet and towards the ground. The cow and bull then went off to do a stand off with another gentleman with a dog.

The elderly man was fine, but very frightened as you can imagine and the standoff with the man with the dog took about 3 minutes. I looked up what to do and it helped.

All this to say, don’t approach these cows and frankly don’t take your dogs with you.

If a cow does approach you stand as wide as possible and take a firm step towards them.

This was very scary and unsettling. I get the idea of walking among cows towards castle ruins is nice until you see a man in his seventies flying towards the ground.

I want to emphasize nobody approached the cows themselves, the cows went up to people...